Contacting Fieldwork Sites and Fieldwork Interviews
The AFWC and CEPSA are responsible for establishing relationships with fieldwork sites and developing the program’s fieldwork educators. In keeping with the program’s philosophy that fieldwork education is an extension of the academic program, efforts will be directed at developing a network of fieldwork facilities and fieldwork educators committed to working with this program to provide quality professional education.
Contacting Fieldwork Sites
Students are instructed to contact their assigned fieldwork education facilities only after being authorized by the AFWC or CEPSA to do so. This will occur after the assignment process for any given fieldwork experience has been completed and fieldwork sites have been notified of the student(s) name(s) by the academic program. Students must contact the site when instructed to do so as this contact serves to confirm the timing and logistics of the placement.
New Site Development
To meet the needs of students, it is possible to develop new fieldwork sites under a limited set of circumstances. Students occasionally ask if they might locate their own fieldwork placements. Guidelines and procedures for exploring new site development will be discussed during fieldwork orientation meetings conducted by the IHP OTD Fieldwork Program and posted on D2L.
Students may not make such contacts with fieldwork facilities until they have checked with the AFWC or CEPSA to understand if the Institute has a history of working with the site. For facilities for which the Institute has contracts, NO STUDENT MAY CONTACT THE CENTER REQUESTING INFORMATION OR FIELDWORK RESERVATIONS (as outlined in our contractual agreements).
Students who initiate new site development will be obligated to proceed with fieldwork placement arrangements once the AFWC or CEPSA have initiated communication with the fieldwork facility and the contract affiliation process is underway. If a potential fieldwork site offers a placement to a student prior to contract initiation, and the student chooses to decline the placement, the student is responsible for notifying both the fieldwork site and the AFWC or CEPSA.
Once the contract negotiation business has been initiated, all formal communication occurs directly between the IHP and the prospective fieldwork site. Students should not expect to be included in this legal business communication and negotiation.
Fieldwork Interviews
Most fieldwork facilities in the New England and mid-Atlantic regions require a pre-placement interview to ensure that students understand the fieldwork expectations and the type of experience offered. For most circumstances, this interview is completed after the student has been assigned to the fieldwork site.
Increasingly, across the US, some fieldwork sites may require an interview to consider the student as a candidate for future placement. The interview serves to determine if proceeding with the placement is mutually acceptable and to confirm the fieldwork arrangements.
The interview may or may not be competitive in making a determination about selecting students for placement. The general purpose of the interview is for students and the fieldwork facility to clarify expectations, discuss qualifications, and explore the ‘match’. Sites have the right to not accept a student based on the interview. Typically, the fieldwork site coordinator notifies the AFWC/ CEPSA of their intention to accept or decline the student via email or by phone contact.
Likewise, should a student identify significant concerns about proceeding with the fieldwork placement based on the interview, students may submit a formal petition to the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator (AFWC) to consider a request to change the Level II fieldwork assignment.